Over low heat, in a small saucepan, heat butter, brown sugar, Tbsp. (40 grams) corn syrup (or maple syrup), stirring until sugar dissolves. Add vanilla extract, whipping cream and a pinch of salt. Stir to incorporate. Remove from heat and pour into the bottom of a greased 9×13 pan with high sides.

Dough:

In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix all dry ingredients until combined. Set aside.

Put water and margarine in a glass measuring cup and microwave just until the margarine has melted. Remove from microwave and stir. Add milk, stir. Add other wet ingredients and whisk to combine.

With the stand mixer running (using the paddle attachment), pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Scrap down the bowl if you have to.

Allow to mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.

Take a piece of plastic wrap and lay it out on a slightly damp counter top, so it covers an area bigger than 8″ x 16″. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp of sugar on the wrap. Lay ball of dough on top of that. Gently lay another piece of plastic wrap over the top of the dough. Pat the dough down into a rectangle shape. Lift and reposition the top plastic wrap whenever you need to. Roll the dough out (with the plastic wrap on top) to approximately 8″ x 16″.

Remove plastic wrap. Spread filling mixture evenly across dough’s surface. Leave 1 1/2″ along one long end without any filling, this is where your cinnamon rolls will be sealed.

Starting along the long end, use the bottom sheet of plastic wrap to lift the edge of the dough and roll it up, forming a long cylinder. Start with the edge that has filling on it, that will be the center of your finished rolls.

Using a long piece of dark thread (light colours can be lost in the dough), cut the long “cinnamon bun log” into 8 pieces, about 1 1/2″ wide. You can do this by placing the thread underneath the roll, crossing it at the top, and pulling the threads so they cross each other, pulling it through the dough. This way, you won’t be squishing your dough down by cutting with a knife. Place rolls in prepared pan, with cut side up. I like to push the rolls down to about 1″ high.

Allow the cinnamon rolls/buns to rise in a warm, draft free place for about 30 minutes, or until nearly double in size.

Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops are a nice golden brown.

Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before inverting on a serving tray, and let the syrup run down over the rolls.

These are best served warm, however, I had great success with reheating them in the microwave for a few seconds when they were a day old as well.

Notes

Update: March 26, 2012Gluten-free AND Dairy-Free Cinnamon Rolls I know many, many of you have asked how to change this recipe so that it is both gluten and dairy free. After some playing around last week, these are the changes that I made.REPLACE the instant vanilla pudding powder with 1/4 cup almond flour (ground almond meal)REPLACE the 1/2 cup water and 3/4 cup milk with soy milk (or your favorite non-dairy milk)REPLACE all of the butter/margarine with vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)REPLACE the heavy cream in the Topping with 2 Tbsp soy milk.